The location is the Mid-Ohio paddock a couple of weeks ago and Ryan Briscoe is shooting the breeze, the Australian's 'disguise' of sunglasses, jeans and a black shirt proving enough to thwart many of the fans milling around looking for drivers to photograph themselves with.

For a guy sidelined by an injury, Briscoe seems in good spirits. He jokes about watching a practice session from trackside and being treated to the surreal sight of seeing his own helmet lapping the circuit without him. [Compatriot James Davison borrowed it for his debut with Dale Coyne Racing, due to his own lid not meeting IndyCar standards.]

F1 and Haas are wrong to ignore AmericaAlexander Rossi ended an eight-year Formula 1 exile for American drivers last month, but it seems he has been overlooked for a seat by the new Haas team. MARK GLENDENNING looks at why US drivers should be taken more seriously1445212800F1

IndyCar's secret manufacturer warChevrolet subjugated Honda in the first year of IndyCar's aero-kit contest. The season might be over, but the battle has moved off-track and into a political row, as MARK GLENDENNING explains1444003200IndyCar

Safety improvements are no quick fixThere have been renewed calls to improve driver safety after the death of Justin Wilson. As MARK GLENDENNING explains, such work was already under way but a solution is not straightforward1442188800IndyCar

How to solve F1's overtaking problemHow can the racing be improved? Would a windtunnel ban make for more interesting designs? What parts can F1 standardise? And which direction should F1 take for its next engine formula? These questions, and more, are answered this week1502841600F1

Why F1 needs more junior works teamsFerrari may tie up with Sauber, Red Bull has Toro Rosso, and Mercedes flirts with junior-driver deployment through customer teams. Embracing a more organised series of alliances would help F1 blood the best young talent much more effectively1502755200F1

What Bottas is lacking compared to HamiltonDespite his attempts to play down his first half-season with Mercedes, Valtteri Bottas has settled in well - but while he's been capable of matching and beating team-mate Lewis Hamilton, there's one key area where the Finn finds himself behind1502755200F1

Please note that unauthorised reproduction or translation of any content (including words, data, information, photos, videos and any other intellectual property) published on this page and any other copyrighted content published on Autosport.com is strictly prohibited. Please see our terms and conditions for further information.

You are not currently logged in to AutosportIt looks like you were previously logged in at our old site, but you will need to log in again to access your Autosport Plus membership benefits.